The Blood Rose Lady

"Seriously, Av? You're taking me to the doctor?"

Anaztasia demanded as soon as she realized that they are in front of the hospital. Apparently, this has been Avril's 'surprise'.

Avril grimaced as soon as he beheld Anaztasia's reaction. "Come on, Ana. We have to know about all the essential things about the baby. Besides, the doctor can also teach us how to raise one properly." She just rolled her eyes and stomped her foot in irritation. "I kept on imagining what your surprise might be but it turns out you'll just take me to the hospital!"

He inched closer and patted her back, "Anaztasia..."

"Don't you Anaztasia me! Besides, why would you ask amortal doctor anyway? We are freaking creatures of the night, remember? Our child is absolutely not just gonna drink milk but also blo-" "Alright, alright. I know what you mean, Ana. Well, she is not a mortal doctor anyway."

Anaztasia's expression was baffled. "What do you mean?"

He was about to respond when the person that they've been talking about just got out of the elevator and walked towards where they are sitting.

"Here she comes," Avril softly whispered.

"She's a solitary werewolf, Avril? For how long?"

"Just last year. I am the one who gave her the moonflower under the table in exchange for being my spy and 'eyes' here in the city."

Anaztasia was about to shriek when the doctor beamed at them and greeted them in a polite manner.

"Good morning, Mr. Arke and Ms. Arryn."

"Good morning as well, doctor. I suppose you already know why we are here?" Anaztasia's stare was challenging and...demanding.

"Oh yes. The Alpha had called me in the middle of the night about your condition."

"Very well. I am just curious..." The doctor immediately faced Anaztasia again as soon as hearing those words. "How do you you know... How do you " "Feed?" The doctor, Fiona, finished the question by herself.

"Yes," both Avril and Anaztasia spoke at the same time.

"Well, why don't we have this conversation in my office right away so that we can have coffee and cookies and privacy at the same time."

Before Avril and Anaztasia could yield an answer, the doctor already headed for the elevator. They then found themselves trailing behind silently as soon as they arrived at the office of Dr. Fiona White.

***

"Your heartbeat is fast. Are you nervous, Ms. Arryn?"

Anaztasia shook her head. "No. I was just still traumatized by that explosion of the apartment near the orchard. The sound of it...I can't get it off my head."

"It's alright. It will just vanish," Fiona assured.

"Av..."

"Yes, Ana?" Avril inched closer to his girlfriend.

"The mother and daughter.... where did they go? They just disappeared like a bubble popping on thin air.” Her voice was thick and hoarse as she queried.

"I haven't scented them since that day. Perhaps Laara and Isla have left the city."

"Or the country." The couple abruptly turned their heads to the doctor.

"People vanish either in two things: they are no longer alive or they have moved to another place, another country."

"The doctor has a point, Ana. Besides, why worry about them?"

Anaztasia tries to sit straight but is visibly not able to as the doctor is scanning her stomach with the device she was holding. She can see what's inside her, thanks to the TV or monitor whatsoever facing her. "They're good, Ms. Arryn. Mr. Arke," Fiona courteously declared.

"They? My baby is not alone?!"

"Come down, Ms. Anaztasia. They're twins. A boy and a girl." Anaztasia leaned back in joy. Avril smiled in delight.

"We have twins, honey," he stated as he kissed her sweaty hand.

"Hmm." It was all he heard as she plunged into a restful sleep.

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"She's tired, Mr. Alpha." Finally, Dr. Fiona White addressed him by that title.

Avril was now beside her. "How's your feeding?"

The doctor shrugged. "Fine. I always volunteer to watch the bodies being cremated. The family and the mortician wouldn't know that the body is missing a part if I handed them the ashes, would they?" Avril patted the doctor twice in the back. "You are one hell of a smart creature."

"We all are..." She said as she eyed Anaztasia. "For survival; that's why I thrive, we thrive."

Avril just nodded his head in a firm motion. "How about your sex life?"

Fiona glared immediately at him as if to ask 'is that even included?'

"Well...not that much compared to my werewolf menu. It's much of a girl to girl relationship still."

"Still? You haven't changed?"

The doctor just shook her head. "Nope. I am still me. Even how many times I force myself to blow a cock, I always ended up liking someone with the same sex as me."

"Then you better fix that up. That's why you are aging fast," Avril stroked her hair. "And you even have a lot of silver strands on your hair already."

"I do?" Fiona asked, wholly flabbergasted. Avril just gave her a tight nod.

She went straight to the nearest mirror and examined herself. The Alpha of the Irish Pack is indeed not lying.

"To eat flesh is to stay immortal, to stay youthful..." Avril took a deep breathe. "That is the hard part of you as, whether you like it or not, you will have and must indulge in a sexual activity; particularly the one that involves a naked man and woman in bed."

Fiona averted her gaze from him and just stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"That is if you want to stay youthful," He added.

The doctor touched her face and brushed her hair and even examined her palms. All of them are yielding signs of aging.

"You can only be a werewolf once, Fiona. If you did not obey my words, it's just like you wasted the Moonflower's gifts that have been running in your veins for months. I thought I made this clear before I handed the mighty flower to you," Avril spoke in a stern tone.

"But I am "

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"No buts, Fiona! If you want to thrive, to live...then you must know what to give away and what to keep. You already know which is which."

Fiona began to sob silently. "Every time I shove a cadaver's remains in my mouth, I often wish that I shouldn't be part of this world. I sometimes regretted being immortal when the true nature of a human is to die..."

Avril pitied her. But what's done is done. There is no turning back. No regrets and no I-should-not-haves...

"I understand you, Fiona. But you are already like this. There is no turning back in time. There is only the present and the future. Past has already passed. It just remained as splinters of memories; nothing more and nothing less."

The doctor was still weeping that, when her assistant nurse barged in, he just gestured to close the door as the doctor was still emotional.

"Move on, Fiona. Do what a Linguist Werewolf does. Then you will reap the fruits of your harvest eventually."

He handed her a purple handkerchief and she accepted it with both hands. Fiona was still wiping her tears away when Avril spoke again.

"That's from the Thaumaturge. The handkerchief was her gift to me for my birthday last year. You can keep it."

The doctor gaped, "You mean the most powerful vampire that you've been talking about that can freeze time and teleport?"

Avril just nodded even though he didn't remember saying that to her. "Yes. You wanna meet her?"

Fiona's face brightened. "Sure! I would love to. Besides, I have heard her beauty is sophisticated and admirable."

"You bet she is. I once had a crush on her when she was younger."

Fiona looked at the still-sleeping Anaztasia. "Is she more beautiful than her?"

"For me? My girlfriend is obviously the most beautiful one in my eyes. But in terms of reality, Rozelyn is indeed more beautiful."

"Then I would like to meet her then," Fiona's smile grew wider as she scented the handkerchief. Lavender and lemon verbena flooded her nose. It had such a sweet fragrance like some scent of a forgotten goddess that she just managed to know today.

"Great. Come with us tomorrow. We will visit the Zadzisais. Finally, you can meet the other vampires and werewolves after a couple of months, eh?"

Fiona finally smiled and chortled. "Indeed I am. Besides, if Ms. Anaztaisa wasn't your girlfriend, I would definitely court her."

After Fiona said that, it was exactly the same time Anaztasia woke up. She looked at Avril, then to the monitor, then to Dr. Fiona White. "What are you two talking about?"

"The doctor would like to meet your bestfriend, Ana." It was Avril who answered.

The newly-awakened Anaztasia's face couldn't be painted as she saw the jovial grin of the doctor and the teasing smirk of Avril.